How West Brom will set up against Sunderland and The Baggies view on Tony Mowbray

The Baggies endured a difficult start to the campaign under former Sunderland boss Steve Bruce, who was sacked in October, and are 21st in the Championship table.

Yet results have improved under new manager Carlos Corberan, who has won three of his four games in charge.

To find out more we caught up with Albion reporter Lewis Cox from The Express & Star on the latest episode of The Roar Podcast.

You can listen to the full episode here

What have been your early impressions of Corberan?

LC: “It was quite a while before he was appointed really, three weeks plus with a caretaker in from the club’s academy.

“Then it was quite quickly apparent that Corberan was of interest, the former Huddersfield head coach of course who worked wonders at Huddersfield to get that club to the play-off final.

“He’s been very impressive so far, the impression he’s given, the way he handles himself and goes about his work, communicates.

“He has certainly delivered results because three wins on the bounce didn’t look like it was coming and certainly with the clean sheets that has been a massive improvement.”

How will West Brom approach the game and what formation will they play?

LC: “We were wondering what to expect from him going into the first game.

“One of the things we’d read about his Huddersfield time was that he likes to flip between a flurry of formations, there is not necessarily a set formation.

“In the first game, a defeat to Sheffield United, they started and finished differently. They started the game quite poorly and finished it well in a 4-2-3-1 but brought different personnel on to fit into that 4-2-3-1.

“They followed that up and stuck with a 4-2-3-1 and it’s worked well really.”

Who are their key players?

LC: “Jed Wallace was a summer arrival from Millwall. Until around late October he was by some way Albion’s best player.

“He’s the chief attacking outlet, the biggest threat, he really led the charge.

“It’s levelled out a little bit and he was quiet in a few games before the break but I expect him to come back fit and firing.

“John Swift is a very stylish footballer and keeps things ticking over. Those set-pieces have also been priceless.

“Also Grady Diangana, the other winger who has been opposite Wallace on the other flank, started the season like a house on fire.”

How is former West Brom boss Tony Mowbray viewed at The Hawthorns?

LC: “He’s immensely popular. He’ll get a brilliant reception.

“He’s got a huge passion for West Brom, it was such a big gig for him coming down and getting his philosophy over and the way he plays football.

“Fans still remember the football he brought and the success that came with that, some players of great quality.

“Obviously jobs since have been a bit of a mixed bag and he’s had some tougher spells.

“Unless they are playing against Albion, Albion fans will always keep an eye out for him and hope for positive results.”

What is your predicted line-up?

LC: “Palmer; Furlong, Bartley, O'Shea, Townsend; Yokuslu, Gardner-Hickman; Wallace, Swift, Phillips; Thomas-Asante